For centuries it has been widely believed that a boat anchor had to be very heavy and made of steel in order to perform well. Voiles et Voiliers, a leading boating magazine in France, recently put this age-old theory to the test by conducting an extensive pull comparison between 12 different anchor models.
Included in this evaluation were a wide variety of traditional and cutting-edge steel anchors, along with a few relatively new aluminum models. The performance of each anchor was observed on the sea bottom by an underwater film crew, and the holding power was carefully measured and recorded aboard the testing vessel.
The Voiles et Voiliers crew was stunned by the performance of the aluminum Fortress model FX-37. This anchor held over 7,200 lbs., which was 3,000 lbs. greater than the second best anchor in the test. Just as astonishing was the fact that the 22 lb. Fortress FX-37 was 30% lighter in weight. The crew determined that its holding power was similar to what would be needed by a 40' yacht during a hurricane.
Brian Sheehan, spokesman for Fortress Marine Anchors, commented, "We were not too surprised by these test results, particularly since we have an old, damaged FX-37 model in our lobby that was returned by a customer after Hurricane Andrew. This FX-37 held a 42' Silverton in 140+ knot winds that lasted several hours. Now that was really surprising.
The Fortress FX-37 has been used as the primary anchor for many years aboard the US Coast Guard's 40' range of patrol boats. Most recently, it was selected for the brand new 45' Response Boat Medium (RB-M).
The FX-37 from Fortress Anchors retails for approximately $500.
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Contact: Brian Sheehan
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 954-978-9988
Fax: 954-974-5378